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Brendan Cullen
I am a PhD student and National Science Foundation GRFP Fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon. As an aspiring data scientist, my long-term goal is to contribute to open-source software and to apply my computational skills as a researcher within an industry setting focused on enhancing health across the lifespan.
Education
PhD Student, Psychology
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR
2022 - 2017
- My research takes a translational (neuro)science approach toward predictive modeling of self-regulation processes and health-risking behaviors within a precision medicine framework for behavioral health
- I am currently pursuing a 5-course Data Science Specialization taught entirely in R, focused on data visualization, functional programming, and machine learning.
MS, Psychology
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR
2019 - 2017
- Thesis: Comparing cognitive and affective predictors of craving
BA, Neuroscience
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
2015 - 2011
- Thesis: Neurophysiological correlates of self-referential activity in meditators and non-meditators
Selected Positions
Lab Instructor
University of Oregon
2020
- Designed and taught lab sections on Correlations, Univariate Regression and the General Linear Model, Regression with Categorical Predictors, Interactions, and Factorial ANOVA.
Lab Instructor
University of Oregon
2019
- Designed and taught lab sections on R Basics and Descriptive Statistics, Matrix Algebra, Data Transformation with dyplr, Pre-registration, and Paired samples t-tests.
Graduate Employee
Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab
University of Oregon
2018 - 2017
- Selected self-report measures and co-designed interventions for NCI-funded RCT comparing behavioral response and cognitive reappraisal interventions for devaluing unhealthy food
- Created automated workflow for daily backup of fMRI backup via a high performance computing cluster
Research Assistant
Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab
Brown University
2017 - 2015
- Cleaned and scored self-report data (20+ measures) from an NIH-funded 3-armed RCT comparing focused awareness meditation, open-monitoring meditation, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on clinical efficacy for depression
- Led a project investigating the effects of meditation training on EEG and behavioral measures of self-referential processing
Research Assistant
Embodied Neuroscience Lab
Brown University
2017 - 2015
- Collected EEG data for pilot RCT testing a neuromuscular-immune model of chronic fatigue in female cancer survivors
- Designed custom software in MATLAB to implement novel EEG/EMG paradigm for measuring neural correlates of tactile acuity and precision grip strength
Selected Publications
Dismantling Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Creation and validation of 8-week Focused Attention and Open Monitoring interventions within a 3-armed randomized controlled trial
Behaviour and Research Therapy, 101, 92-107.
N/A
2018
- Britton, W.B., Davis, J., Loucks, E.B., Peterson, B., Cullen, B., Reuter, L., Rando, A., Rahrig, H., Lipsky, J. & Lindahl, J. (2018).
Comparing embodiment experiences in expert meditators and non-meditators
Consciousness and Cognition, 65, 325-333.
N/A
2018
- Xu, A., Cullen, B., Penner, C., Zimmerman, C., Kerr, C.E., & Schmalzl, L. (2018)
Dose-dependent effects of testosterone on spatial memory in adult male rats
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 89, 120-130.
N/A
2018
- Wagner, B., Braddick, V. Batson, C., Cullen, B., Miller, E. & Spritzer, M. (2018).
Workshops Taught
Introduction to Git and Github
Psychology First Year Research Seminar
University of Oregon
2020
- Introductory workshop for first-year psychology PhD and Masters students on basics of using Git and Github for version control
Intermediate Git and Github
UO Data Science Club
University of Oregon
2019
- Intermediate Git/Github workshop for University of Oregon’s Data Science Club, including discussion of merge conflicts, branching, pull requests, and best practices for collaborative Github projects
Additional Training
Introduction to Machine Learning with the Tidyverse
rstudio::conf(2020)
San Francisco, CA
2020
- Two-day workshop on machine learning with tidymodels taught by Alison Hill
Selected Service
Co-organizer
Eugene, OR
2020
- Updated website for 2020 conference, designed new hex sticker, secured additional sponsors
Co-organizer
Eugene, OR
2018
- Co-organized a two-day Brainhack event hosted at the University of Oregon that involved collaborative software development projects related to computational neuroscience and psychology